Mohler Laboratory

In 1986, the university purchased and renovated the former B’rith Shalom synagogue on the corner of Packer and Brodhead Avenues to house the department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and other technological programs. The Board of Trustees dedicated this “facility for the future” in Hal’s name out of appreciation for his leadership and support, and the building is now known as Mohler Laboratory.

The four-story building serves as the central hub of the department, with the departmental office located on the 4th floor, faculty offices located on both the 3rd and 4th floors, and the graduate student office on the 3rd floor.  The majority of the ISE classes are held in the various classrooms throughout the building including a wireless classroom on the 3rd floor, and students have access to two computer labs on both the 2nd and 4th floors.  Mohler Lab also houses seven different technology centers, each contributing to the research efforts of the department.  The department has guest speakers and seminars on a regular basis throughout the academic year, and these are usually held in Mohler Lab as well.  

 

Harold S. Mohler

Known throughout his corporate life as “the candy man,” the former chairman of the Hershey Foods Corporation, Hal Mohler knew that his company’s chocolate and the satisfaction he derived from charitable service were equally sweet. A 1948 graduate of the university, Mohler received his B.S. in industrial engineering and began his distinguished career at Hershey Foods. From his initial position as an engineer, he rose through the ranks as assistant to the president, vice president, and, eventually, president and chairman of the board.  His ascension path was similar at Lehigh, where he made his way from volunteer solicitor to president of the Lehigh Club of Central Pennsylvania. In 1970, he was elected president of the Alumni Association and in 1973 he began a 12 year term on the Board of Trustees where he earned the role of chairman. Mohler was awarded an honorary degree in 1975 for his outstanding contributions to the university. During the presentation of the degree, university president Deming Lewis remarked, “There are many today who want to tell a president how to run a university; you have achieved not only the wisdom but the right to do so.” Two years later, the Lehigh Club of New York honored him with their distinguished L-in-Life Award.  Harold Mohler died in 1988, but his legacy lives on at Lehigh through the scholarship fund he established with his wife and high school sweetheart, Melda. She continues to support the fund and she visits campus annually to meet its young recipients.